Devna Dangwal, Sindhi High School, K. K. Road, Bengaluru
Devna’s story was one of the Top 10 stories of the TeacherTribe Short Story Writing Contest.
I woke up one day and saw my father standing near me. It was quite early and I asked him, “What happened dad?”. He looked very excited. He answered, “Did you see the garden recently? It’s in full bloom. There are beautiful flowers growing - Pansy, lily, dahlia, the dog flower, the roses, balsam and daisy, all in beautiful colours! Come let’s go.” I looked at the time and told him that it was a bit early. But he didn’t budge and kept on cajoling me. Finally, his excitement and enthusiasm got onto me, and I said, “Why not? Let’s go!”
I checked on my two children. They were still sleeping. I put on my hoodie and started with my father. On reaching my parents’ house, I was mesmerized by the beauty of the garden. I kept gaping at the breathtaking sight. The cluster of pansies, the exotic dahlias, the gorgeous roses, the glorious daisy, the bright balsam…I turned to look at my father and saw him beaming. The happiness on his face was unmistakable. He was proud of his work. He has always been very passionate about his garden and always toiled hard to take care of it.
I had still not entered the house and saw my mother opening the door and looking at us. I started moving forward, towards her, when suddenly my father took my hand and said, “let me take you back, your children would be getting up soon.”
We turned and suddenly I woke up, dazed. I looked at the time. It was 5.30 AM. My father had left us a few months ago. He had moved forward to a different realm called heaven. But I was sure that I was with him a couple of minutes ago. I could still feel his love and warmth. The fragrance of the fresh flowers was still with me. I picked up the phone and called my mother. I asked her about the garden. She described the garden and it was exactly how I had witnessed it a few minutes back!
I was touched by this experience. I realized that day that the people who love you remain with you always!